"PRIME" RATES HIGH AS SENSITIVE ROMANTIC COMEDY

Add quintessential Jewish mother to the myriad of different characters the wonderful Meryl Streep has portrayed in her film career. She is always up to the challenge and again she succeeds. In Prime, she’s not only Lisa Metzger, the yiddesha mama, but a psychotherapist with an office right across the hall from her apartment on the upper west side of Manhattan. Before going further, and this in no way reflects her performance, I must say that Streep, appearing in wig and eyeglasses looks a bit too much like Mrs. Doubtfire, the role Robin Williams played in drag. Many of us at a preview screening took notice and commented about it, wondering why the makeup artists went that route. Didn’t they see the resemblance?

Let me get back to the story, which is a modern treatment of the older woman/younger man romantic tale. Uma Thurman, (far removed from her recent kick ass action role in Kill Bill I and II) plays Lisa’s patient Rafi, who is struggling with emotional turmoil after her recent divorce and sees Lisa, more like a friend to turn to for advice, than as a shrink. But things get complicated and their relationship jeopardized when Rafi, the beautiful shiksa becomes romantically involved with David Bloomberg (adorable newcomer Brian Greenberg), who just happens to be Lisa’s son. Along with the cultural, religious differences, there is also the fact that Rafi is a mature 37-year-old successful executive in the fashion world with an immaculate, expensive apartment, and David is an immature, messy 23-year-old would-be artist living with his grandparents in Brooklyn. At first, no one has a clue that David is Rafi’s new boyfriend, and it is easy for Lisa to be impartial. But when Lisa finds out that David is the young hunk discussed in her sessions, it brings about interactions between all involved that are not only funny, but also truthful and heartfelt.

I applaud Streep for keeping it real with her honest portrayal of a caring Jewish mother, which could easily have turned into a caricature. Lisa wants the best for everyone, but is put in a compromising position between doting mother (who wants her son to marry a woman of the same faith), professional therapist, and supportive friend. Knowing that she is conflicted, and finds it hard dealing with these issues, it is hysterical watching the therapist talk to her own therapist, or seeing her try to stay calm while listening to Rafi describe some very intimate details about her sex life with David. As his mother, this is something Lisa definitely does not want to hear. It is rare to see Streep, known mostly as a dramatic actress, being so funny.

With Prime, audiences are in for a nice surprise on many levels. I expected another run of the mill formulaic comedy with the usual pitfalls and predictable ending. That’s not the case here. Bravo to writer/director Ben Younger (Boiler Room) for creating a tight and smart script with mature themes, and not resorting to stereotypical characters. Younger has written a well-constructed story about real people in real relationships with real problems that don’t always have a cut and dry solution, as is so often depicted in movies. I also like that both the dialogue and performances seem natural and not contrived. On that note, master of her craft, Streep and the excellent Thurman share a believable bond that makes some poignant scenes all the more effective.

When men walk out of a movie theatre and rave about what they initially thought would be another chick flick…that says a lot. My husband said he enjoyed the movie as much as I did. It proves that when an intelligent script hits home for both sexes, the appeal transcends gender. That and everything I’ve mentioned before are prime reason to see Prime.

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